This testimonial is from one of the recent participants of the Restoration Fellowship that will begin again soon.

Warning lights

When you own a car, it is important to watch for the so-called “idiot lights.” Those lights that light up the dashboard with warnings such as “headlight out,” “add oil,” or the most terrifying “engine light.” We learn not to ignore when the light comes on. We learn that putting off dealing with a warning light can lead to catastrophic damage to a car’s engine. Yet, when there are warning lights in our own lives, ministers often take the route of “ignore and hope for the best.”

There was a year in which all the warning lights went off in my mind, body, soul, and spirit. Warning light: fifty-two funerals in eighteen months, a staggering number for any pastor after which I was mired in grief work, my own and helping others. Warning light: going to a yearly wellness appointment only to discover that my blood pressure and weight were both up, and that I had developed anemia. Warning light: exhaustion so deep that I found it difficult to get out of bed in the morning. Warning light: losing my joy in the work I was called to do.

If a vehicle’s warning light display looked like this, it would immediately be taken to a repair shop for intervention. However, ministry training has ingrained in many faithful pastors that our calling is about the care and nurture of others. Following Jesus example, we pour ourselves out over and over again. We give up days off, vacations, and time with family to be there for our congregations. After serving God through the church for years, we become unable to recognize when our own warning lights are going off. Worse still, we may see those warning lights but have nowhere to go to tune us up and give us tools to thrive again. So, we continue driving ourselves with warning lights flashing.

When I found myself searching for a ministry to walk alongside me during this difficult time, I kept coming back to the story of Jesus and the bleeding woman in Luke 8.

“As Jesus moved forward, he faced smothering crowds. 43 A woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent her entire livelihood on doctors, but no one could heal her. 44  She came up behind him and touched the hem of his clothes, and at once her bleeding stopped.

45  “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When everyone denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing in on you!”

46  But Jesus said, “Someone touched me. I know that power has gone out from me.”

47  When the woman saw that she couldn’t escape notice, she came trembling and fell before Jesus. In front of everyone, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed.

48  “Daughter, your faith has healed you,” Jesus said. “Go in peace.”

This Scripture is striking. Jesus was “smothered by crowds.” Overcome by the demands of the people, Jesus felt his own power drained away. “I know that power has gone out from me.” He still continued to heal, but something had been taken. Jesus recognized and named his own experience of ministry disrupting the way his body and soul felt when the needs became too much.

These words gave me comfort but also left me with unanswered questions. Comfort, in that Jesus had experienced what I was going through but also questions about how to renew my drained soul. As I came back to these verses over and over again, I began to search for what I eventually found in Restore Clergy's program.

It was critical to find a place where clergy were cared for by trained professionals who understood the challenges of ministry. Also, a community of clergy that felt safe enough to share the broken parts, the hurts, and the reality of serving the church long-term. A program that offered practical tools that could give me a chance not only to recover from burnout, but also to stretch toward new rhythms that could lead toward resilience and strength for the seasons to come.

What Restore Clergy offers is a community unlike any I have found. Real support, encouragement and deep empathy for the work I do and the calling that I have. Deep reflection and therapeutic practices that gave me courage and strength to do that work, but also to prioritize wholeness and nurture for myself. A community that welcomes diversity and inspires inclusivity. We can only love others as much as we love and cherish ourselves as God’s beloved- and the more we neglect our warning lights, the less effective we are in our callings.

Kinsie has a wonderful way of nudging pastors toward real wellness. She shares her experience as both minister and therapist. Her approach is to help pastors understand how we could function at our most healthy and grounded, and to work toward being that person most of the time. She also taught us about recognizing our body and its needs. Often in ministry training, we spend most of our time and energy in the mind, not the body; yet incarnation calls us to embodiment. Jesus’ human experiences are worthy and beautiful. Our human experiences are just as beautiful and worthy to be known, named, and lived in Christ.

Tuned up to thrive

After a year in the cohort, I have developed confidence, a deeper sense of self, and grace for the hard days. How often we are our own worst enemies! How often our negative self-talk, unattainable expectations, and lack of self-care keep us from the abundance of life that Christ has for us. I feel grounded and rooted in a way I haven’t since I was first called to ministry. I found practices that feed and nurture my inmost being.

Restore Clergy was the tune-up that I needed. I came bruised and bleeding, drained and depressed. I spent a year investing in my own health and well-being with a group of fellow ministers led by a faithful guide. We experienced struggle, learning, and grace in equal measures. Slowly, one by one, the warning lights dimmed and then went out. Over time, power poured back into me.

Growth in this program isn’t an earth-shattering one-time experience, but instead a step-by-step process that builds resilience. It is empowering to be given the tools to help yourself thrive. I thank God for Kinsie’s work through the Restoration Fellowship.

Rev. Hillary, Ludington MI (January 2025 Cohort participant)

There's still time to join us!

The next round of the Restoration Fellowship starts next week March 25th, 2026 with our opening Virtual Meet and Greet @ 9am PST before we gather in person post Easter. The opening retreat will happen April 13-17 and we will retreat at Phillips Theological Seminary's new Bedford House in Tulsa, OK, to rest, commune, and begin the journey together. There is still room and we have scholarships available if the cost of the program is prohibitive. We won't be offering the Fellowship again this year. Please reach out if you have questions or would like to participate.

Take Care,

Rev. Kinsie M. Tate, LPCC

Founder and Executive Director

Restore Clergy

If you are inspired by this testimonial and want to support the work we do by giving to Restore Clergy, a 501c3 organization, we welcome your donations as we work to support the clergy who give so much to support others.